The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is an open-source bitmap graphics editor. While it aspires to be an alternative to Adobe’s Photoshop, it has an incredibly quirky interface and is often cited as an example of what’s wrong with open source/free software, as it is an incredibly powerful program hiding behind a decidedly new-user-unfriendly interface.
The GIMP provides most of my graphics needs. As I’ve never used Photoshop, I do not mind the interface quirks and am used to them by now.
The GIMP is also a historic part of open source. During its creation, the authors decided to uncouple the UI controls from the program proper, creating what they called the Gimp Toolkit. What is now known as the GTK is at the heart of the GNOME open source desktop and lots of gui software for Linux.
Ports and Versions
- GIMPshop is a project that attempts to rearrange the interface to be more like Photoshop
Resources
- Removing backgrounds in the GIMP
- A set of tutorials on creating “Web 2.0” style graphics: ‘wet-floor’ shadows, emblems, gradient buttons, and the like.
- How to convert your digital photos into realistic photo prints. This is a Photoshop tutorial, but it should work with the GIMP.
